What type of fever fluctuates, returning to baseline before rising again?

Intermittent fever is characterized by episodes of fever that alternate with periods of normal temperature. In this pattern, the patient's temperature rises above baseline but then returns to normal before rising again, which distinguishes it from other types of fever.

For example, this type of fever is often seen in conditions like malaria, where the fever occurs in cycles. The periods of normal temperature can vary in duration but are a key feature of intermittent fever.

In contrast, continuous fever remains elevated throughout the day, without returns to the baseline temperature, making it a different pattern altogether. Remittent fever, while it involves fluctuations, does not return to baseline but rather fluctuates within a fever range. Chronic fever refers to a prolonged febrile state that lasts over a long period, but it does not exhibit the cycling nature of intermittent fever. Thus, intermittent fever is the appropriate classification for the described pattern of temperature changes.